


Caulfield Calling from Thorofare

by TheDinosaurNerd



Series: Ol' Shoshone [1]
Category: Firewatch (Video Game), Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Crossover, F/F, Mentions of Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-01 20:41:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13302804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDinosaurNerd/pseuds/TheDinosaurNerd
Summary: Chloe pushed past a bush and entered a small clearing, where Two Forks tower loomed above her. The moon sat suspended in the sky behind the tower. She took a moment to admire the sight, before ascending the tower. Chloe opened the door to the cab and walked in, dropping her bag on the floor. She didn’t even bother to turn the power on before collapsing onto the bed and passing out.orAvalon1632 had the genius idea to combine Pricefield with Firewatch. (Go read that fic now its great http://archiveofourown.org/works/7630054/chapters/17370940) This fic is that basic idea, except nothing weird or abnormal happens at all and everything is in general a lot happier





	1. En Route to Two Forks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, go read the fic that inspired this if you haven't already. It's a lot more eventful than this will be.

The truck came to a stop in the parking lot. Chloe Price turned off the engine and grabbed her phone.

                -just got here. guess its a long hike to the tower

                -Well, you’d better get hiking then. We’ll see you in a few months. We’re very proud of you, Chloe.

                -aww thanks mom. say hi to david for me

                -Will do. Love you.

                -luv u too mom

She slipped the phone into her pocket. She probably wouldn’t be using it much out here; evidently, out where her tower is, there’s no service whatsoever.

Chloe pushed open the door of her truck, grabbed the backpack sitting on the passenger seat, and hopped out of the car. The woods were quiet, and beautiful. They reminded her of Arcadia Bay, in a way. As much as she hated that town, she had to admit it was pretty nice-looking in some parts. She looked back at her old truck and sighed.

“Well, this is where I leave you. I’ll see you in a few, ya big… thing.”

The truck didn’t respond. Chloe turned and walked to a wooden message board. Several posters and notes, along with a map, were nailed to the board. The sign read the words ‘Thorofare Trailhead’. Chloe headed down the path.

* * *

 

It was getting late. Chloe had been walking for what felt like hours. She came to a small sign. It read ‘Two Forks Fire Lookout’. Chloe sighed in relief. “That’s my tower,” she said to herself. She looked closer at the sign. It said ‘8 Miles’ in small letters. Chloe’s relief dissipated.

“Fuck.”

* * *

 

It was night. Chloe had set up a small camp along the side of the trail. She sat by her electric lantern, unsure of what to do. She considered carving something into a nearby tree stump, but decided not to break all the rules before even starting the job.

* * *

 

The next day was nicer. It was cool, and the hike was slightly less unbearable. Chloe saw an elk along the trail. She just froze and looked at it. It looked back, and then ran off.

* * *

 

Chloe pushed past a bush and entered a small clearing, where Two Forks tower loomed above her. The moon sat suspended in the sky behind the tower. She took a moment to admire the sight, before ascending the tower. Chloe opened the door to the cab and walked in, dropping her bag on the floor. She didn’t even bother to turn the power on before collapsing onto the bed and passing out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh yeah I forgot to mention this takes place in modern times  
> it doesn't really change anything so meh
> 
> Comments are welcome.


	2. Do You Read Me?

Day 1

It was the sunlight shining in through the windows that finally woke Chloe up. She rubbed her eyes and slowly got up off the bed, which creaked loudly. Her pack was abandoned on the floor and she was still wearing all her clothes from last night. The cab was kinda cold, and Chloe realized she should probably get the power on. After looking around for a moment, she located the generator button and pressed it. A low hum started and the lights flickered on.

“Hella yeah,” she said to herself.

“Hello, Two Forks Tower?”

Chloe paused. “What?” she said out loud.

“Uh, Two Forks, this is Thorofare Lookout. Do you read me?”

Oh yeah. The radio. Chloe walked over and picked up the small portable radio.

“Hi. Hey. This is Two Forks.”

“Good morning! Or, good afternoon? It’s actually about noon right now, so… good noon, I guess. Anyways, you’re, uh…” Chloe heard some rustling papers. “You’re Chloe, right?”

“Yep. That’s me.”

“Alright, cool. I’m Max, your… boss, I guess.”

“The guy on the phone said it was Maxine.”

“It’s Max. Never Maxine. Anyways, uh, welcome to Shoshone National Forest! Kinda surprised it took you this long to get here.”

“Actually, I got here last night. I just… kinda fell asleep instantly.”

“Kinda?”

“Ok, I hella fell asleep. Sorry.”

Max snorted. “Hella? Who says that anymore?”

“Me. I do.”

“Alrighty then. In any case, now that you’re up, I can get you acquainted with the job. There should be a circle-y map-y thing in the middle of the room. Do you see it?”

Chloe turned around, and sure enough, there was a circle-shaped map on a stand.

“Yep, I see it.”

“That is the Osborne Fire Finder, invented by a guy named W.B…”

“Uh, Shithead? Fuckface?”

Chloe can tell Max is about to start laughing. “Osborne, you dumbass. I don’t think those other two are even real names.”

“Real or not, I can guarantee I’ve called plenty of people by those names.”

Max started laughing. “I’m sure. Anyways, the Osborne Fire Finder is used to find fires. Who woulda guessed, huh?”

* * *

 

“And that is how you use the Osborne Fire Finder. Pretty nifty, yeah?”

To be honest, the lesson was kinda boring. Not that Chloe would say that. “Um, sure. So, what now?”

 “Well, for the most part, you’ll be spending your time in your cab watching out for fires. There’s really nothing else I have for you to do right now, so… I guess you’re free. I’d encourage you to hike around your area and get acquainted with your surroundings.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

Chloe got up and picked up her pack. She rummaged around in it until she found her Dad's old Polaroid camera. She had decided to bring it at the last minute, and she was hoping to actually use it at some point.

Chloe opened the door of the cab, camera in hand. It was warm out, and she was glad to have woken up in the middle of the day and not in the cold morning. She descended the tower, and as she did the first thing that caught was an old outhouse.

“Hey, Max? Is the outhouse the only thing out here in terms of shitting?”

“Pretty much.”

Chloe groaned and went to inspect the small building. It was clearly very old and looked like it might fall apart.

Then, the attack came.

As Chloe walked around the outhouse, a wooden cutout that was leaned against the building suddenly fell over, right on top of Chloe.

As she was knocked down, she yelled out “WHAT THE FUCK?!” She grabbed the radio.

“Uh, Max, I was just attacked by a wooden cutout.”

“What.”

“Who the hell is the creepy… yellow… man?”

Max immediately burst into laughter. “That would be Forrest Byrnes. He’s basically our mascot. Advocating fire safety and such.”

“Forrest Byrnes? Really?”

“Hey, I didn’t come up with the name. We have a bunch of those cutouts around here. You must have knocked it over.”

“Why the hell is it so heavy? It nearly _crushed_ me. I could have been pancaked on my first day on the job.”

“Well, back in the 90s, we had a bunch of problems with people stealing the cutouts, so the Forest Service made them heavier so they were harder to take.”

“Who the _fuck_ would steal this thing? It’s hella creepy!”

“Heck if I know. His soulless eyes still haunt my nightmares.”

Chloe placed the cutout back against the outhouse and shuddered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcome.


	3. Adventure in Thunder Canyon

“Hey, Max?”

“Yeah?”

“I found a cave.”

“That must be Cave 452. The main part of the cave is gated off, but it leads around to Thunder Canyon.”

“Jesus Christ, what is it with the names around here?”

“Don’t ask me, man, I just work here.”

Chloe emerged from the cave and squinted at the bright sun. She was standing in a narrow, rocky canyon, with a small stream running through it. It was hot, and the foliage was sparse and dry. Chloe spotted a nearby box with a lock on it.

“Hey, Max? What’s this box thing down here?”

“That’s probably one of our supply boxes. We have them all over the Shoshone. Since you’re in Thunder Canyon, that one would be… Cache 303.”

“What’s the combination?”

“It’s 1-2-3-4. It’s actually that for all of them.”

“Secure.”

“Shut up.”

Chloe smirked and entered the combination.

* * *

 

“So, um… what happened?”

Chloe stopped walking. “Excuse me?”

“Usually, people come out here to get away from something. Or because something happened. So what happened?”

Chloe swallowed. She didn’t respond. It was silent for a moment.

“Ok, how about this: I’ll guess what brought you out here, and you can guess what brought me.”

Chloe sighed. “Alright, sure. You first.”

“Well, most people just got dumped. They come here to take their mind off of things. Am I close?”

“Sorta. Not really. I guess it’s my turn now.”

“Well, yeah.”

“Alright, um… you’re a serial killer. You murder people regularly. You originally came out here to lay low, but then you realized that you could pick off unsuspecting hikers and no one would be the wiser.”

“Wowsers. That took a turn.”

“Wowsers? _Really_?”

“Oh, like you’re one to talk.”

Chloe was about to respond, but she was cut off by the loud crack of thunder above. The sky was turning dark.

“Uh, Chloe? I think you should get back to your tower. A pretty big storm is rolling in.”

“Aren’t you supposed to stay away from tall things in a storm?”

“The tower will be safe. It’ll be more dangerous if you’re out in the forest. Just get back and stay safe.”

Chloe looked back up to the sky before turning around and heading back in the direction of Two Forks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcome.


	4. Morning Fog

Day 2

Chloe woke up early in the morning, surprisingly. It was barely light out. She turned on the lights and went to look out the windows, still foggy from the storm last night.

“Chloe? Are you up?”

Chloe picked up the small radio. “Aye, captain.”

“Great. Sleep well?”

“More or less. Kinda hard with all the thunder and shit.”

“Well, I hope you’re up for some work. The storm knocked out the phone line I use to talk to the service, which means we’re cut off.”

“Can’t you, like, radio out or whatever?”

“I already tried. It didn’t work either.”

“So what, do you want me to fix the phone line? I’m hella talented, but not _that_ talented.”

“I’m sure. No, what I want you do is to hike out to where the wire runs through your area and see if it’s down. I can probably track somebody down to get on it. Sound good?”

“Yeah. How do I get there?”

“Remember that cave you went in yesterday? Go back that way, but instead of going left into Thunder Canyon, just go straight north.”

“Sure thing, Maxaroni.”

“… what did you just call me?”

* * *

 

Chloe hiked down the hill towards the cave. A light fog hung over the ground, and it was hella cold.

“Jesus, it’s really kinda cold down here.”

“Yeah, that happens down here. Did mornings get cold over in Oregon?”

“Yeah, sometimes. I just usually slept through mornings.”

“What’s it like? Where you live, I mean. What kinda stuff do you do?”

“To be honest, I used to smoke a lot of pot.”

“Wowsers, really?”

“Yeah. I did a ton of stupid shit with Rachel when we were kids.”

“Rachel?”

 _Shit, did I just say that?_ Chloe thought. _I guess I can’t hide it anymore._

“Yeah, Rachel. My girlfriend.”

“Oh. You have a girlfriend?”

“Had.”

“Oh. Sorry. I’m kinda nosy, I just… sorry.”

Chloe turned off the radio.

* * *

 

“Hey, Max? I found the phone line.”

“Oh, cool. You see anything?”

“Nope, it looks fine from here. How far does it go?”

“Uh… the phone line goes all the way to Beartooth point. See if you can get up there, tell me what you find, and circle back around to Two Forks.”

“Aye aye, captain.”

* * *

 

Chloe walked around the corner and found herself in a large open space. A large rock outcrop jutted out of the ground, surrounded by the forest. The phone line extended up to the top of the point. Chloe saw what had happened to the phone line and grabbed the radio.

“Max, I think I’ve found the problem.”

“What is it?”

“Looks like the storm knocked over a tree. It totally fucked the phone line.”

“Are you cereal? That’s gonna be a real son of a bitch to deal with.”

“Oh my god, Mad Max, I do not understand your speech patterns.”

“What?” Chloe could almost hear her shrug.

“Nevermind. Should I head back to the tower, or what?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. Stay safe.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcome.


	5. Nighttime Photography

Day 5

It was night. Chloe had turned the lights off, and was just about ready to go to sleep when Max called.

“Hey, Chloe? You there?”

“Yeah, I’m here. I thought you were asleep, your lights are off.”

“Yeah, no, I’m awake. Could you turn your lights on though?”

“Why?”

“Well, I’m doing some photography, and I thought it would be cool to get a shot of your tower with the lights on at night. My lights are off so they don’t screw with my shots.”

“Oh, cool.” Chloe walked over and turned the lights on. “That good?”

“Yeah, it’s perfect. Give me a moment.”

It was silent then. Chloe looked to the north, the silhouette of Thorofare Tower dark against the night sky. She could imagine Max out there, camera in hand, looking right back.

“Alright, I got the shot.”

“How’d it turn out?”

“It’s great, Chloe. Might be one of the best shots I’ve ever taken. Thanks.”

“Of course, captain. So, you like photography?"

"Yeah. I've wanted to be a photographer since I was a kid. I'm not that good at it, but I always hoped I'd make it as a photographer. Maybe get into a school like Blackwell. You went there, right?"

"Yeah. Didn't work out for me. So why are you out here instead of, you know, following your dreams or whatever?"

Max sighed on the other end. "Well, I was gonna go to Blackwell for my senior year, but then something came up, and I had to stay in Seattle. I had missed the opportunity of a lifetime. So, the next summer, I took this job, and I've been here ever since."

"Do you think you'll ever go back to photography? As, like, a career?"

"I'd like to, eventually. But I don't know."

"I'm sure you'd be hella great at it."

"Thanks, Chloe." Chloe heard Max yawn on the other side. "I think I'm gonna turn in. Talk to you tomorrow, I guess."

“Sounds good. Goodnight, Super-Max.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcome.


	6. Night Calls

Day 12

Chloe sat on a rock overlooking Thunder Canyon. The sun was low above the horizon, the sky turning purple. It was one of the best sunsets she had seen. Next to her on the rock was a sandwich sitting on a napkin and her Dad’s camera. She picked it up, as well as her radio.

“Hey, Spider-Max?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you give me some photography tips? I’d like to take some photos of the sunset.”

“Of course! This is a great time for photography. They call it the ‘golden hour’.”

“I can see why.”

“So, what do you want to know?”

* * *

 

Day 19

Chloe woke up in the middle of the night. She didn’t quite know why. She got up and pulled on a jacket, before opening the door of the cab and stepping out onto the balcony. Her breath appeared as a cloud in the cold air. She looked over and, to her surprise, the lights at Thorofare Tower were on. She walked back into the cab to grab the radio, before coming back out.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

A moment of silence.

“Not really.” Max’s voice sounded rough and shaky. _Was she crying?_ thought Chloe.  

“Are… are you okay?”

Max sniffled. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. Just having some tea.”

“You sure? You sound kinda, you know…”

“It’s my allergies. I’m fine, really.”

Chloe yawned.

“You should get some sleep. Don’t worry about me.”

“Um… okay. Whatever you say, Bat-Max. Night.”

“Goodnight, you dork.”

Chloe turned off the radio and stepped back inside her cab. She lay down on her bed, thinking to herself. Max was lying, and Chloe knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some slight foreshadowing in this one. Can anyone guess where I'm going with Max's backstory?
> 
> Anyways, comments are welcome.


	7. Can You See Me?

Day 24

“Hey, Chloe?”

Chloe raised an eyebrow. Usually, she was the one to call Max, unless Max had a job for her to do.

“Yeah? What is it, boss?”

“You ever get lonely out here?”

Where was this coming from? “I mean, sometimes. But, I mean, I have you to talk to.”

“Yeah, but… don’t you miss seeing people? Neither of us have seen anyone for a while now.”

Chloe thought for a moment. “Max, do you have, like, a telescope or binoculars or anything?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“Grab it and look down at my tower.” Chloe walked out to the balcony facing Thorofare tower and waited.

“Wowsers. You have blue hair.”

“And it looks hella awesome.” Chloe waved at Thorofare Tower. “So, what do you think? Am I attractive by the Max Standards of Quality?”

Max laughed. “Chloe, all I see is a black and white stick with blue at the top. We’re too far away even for my scope.”

“Come on, Maximus! Am I at least the hottest stick you’ve ever seen?”

“Sure thing, Chloe.”

"FUCK YEAH! A girl thinks I'm hot!"

Max was pretty much just giggling at this point. "Don't let it go to your head."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcome.


	8. Mourn and Grieve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is pretty heavy. Trigger warning for mentions of suicide.

Day 33

Chloe took a close look at the sign. It read ‘Thorofare Basin Region- Supply Drop’. _Thank fuck,_ thought Chloe. It had been one hell of a hike so far.

“Why the _fuck_ is the supply drop so far away? I’m gonna die before I even get there.”

“Ah, I remember the good old days when I had to hike just to get supplies.”

“What.”

“I get all my shit hand-delivered.”

“Are you cereal?! How does that work?”

There was a moment of silence.

“Did you say what I think you just said?’

“Just answer the damn question!”

“Alright, alright.” Chloe could practically hear Max’s smirk. “I’m a senior employee. You work here longer, they give you more shit.”

“Senior my ass. I’m fairly certain I’m older than you.”

Chloe heard some rustling papers. “A year older, according to your resume.”

“You just have that on hand? Creep.”

“Hey, man, I’m your supervisor. I supervise.”

Chloe rolled her eyes.

* * *

 

“Alright, so… about Rachel.”

Chloe stopped walking. She knew she’d have to bring this up again, but…

“What happened with her?”

Chloe sighed. “She died.”

Max didn’t respond for a while. “Oh.”

Chloe decided to keep going. “She was murdered. She’d been missing for a while, and then…”

“God, I’m… so sorry, Chloe.”

“It was my stepdad who found her. He was a security guard. He worked with the cops, led the investigation, locked up the guy who did it. The thing is, I _hated_ him back then. My stepdad. And then, I just… didn’t.” Chloe wiped away tears, although she wasn’t sure when she’d started crying.

“Anyways, Rachel’s death sorta sent me down a spiral. I didn’t do anything for so long. I’d already been expelled from Blackwell at this point. My parents tried to get me to find a job, something to do. So I did, I started and quit a bunch of jobs over the next few months. They all made things worse. But then, about a year after it all happened, I saw the ad for this job. And now, well, here we are.”

Max was silent for quite a while. Chloe reached the supply drop and opened the crate. There were three boxes inside, one marked for Two Forks. She opened the box.

“Prunes and beans. Fuck my ass.”

* * *

 

The moon was high in the sky above Two Forks. Chloe had brought a chair out to the balcony of the tower. The lights at Thorofare Tower were still on. Chloe was holding on to her radio, just in case.

“Alright, so… I guess I better come clean. You’ve told me everything about you, so…” Chloe heard Max sigh.

“In Seattle, my best friend was this girl named Kate Marsh. She was the sweetest girl you’ve ever known. Kind to literally everyone. Devout Christian. We had tea dates all the time. Anyways, it was right before 12th grade started. I was planning to go to Blackwell. Everything was going great. But then, this really shitty video of Kate at a party turned up online. She didn’t remember the night it was recorded, and I had my suspicions that she’d been drugged. It didn’t matter, in any case. Her reputation dropped like a fucking rock. I tried to help her, but her depression was snowballing fast. She-“ Max broke down crying. “She… took her own life shortly thereafter.”

“Max… “

“After that, I couldn’t go to Blackwell. I couldn’t leave my best friend in the city that took her life. I gave up my dreams and stayed in Seattle, and the next summer I started down here.”

Damn.

“Max, I don’t… I’m sorry.”

Max sniffled. “Well, we’re here now. All we can do is to remember those we’ve lost, and… try to remember that the world can still be beautiful.”

They were both silent.

“It suppose it is beautiful out here,” whispered Chloe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this physically hurt me to write
> 
> Comments are welcome.


	9. The Legend of Pork Pond

Day 42

“Chloe, are you _sure_ you have your license?”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it all sorted out back when I took the job.” For once, she was actually telling the truth there.

“Do you even know how to fish?”

“I don’t see why not. Arcadia Bay is a fishing town. I’m sure I picked up _some_ skills down there.”

“If you say so. Y’know, that reminds me. I keep hearing reports from Fish and Game about a problem bear they’re trying to keep tabs on. Could you keep an eye out for any tracks while you’re fishing?”

“ _Problem bear?_  That sounds like a 100% chance of getting mauled to death.”

“You’ll be fine, Chloe. It’s not like I’m asking you to go after the bear, just keep an eye out.”

Chloe groaned. “Okay, fine. Whatever you say, Maxster.”

“Thanks, Chloe!”

* * *

 

Day 47

“Max, I’m seeing some smoke to the south.”

“Yeah, I see it too. Thin plume… it’s either a new fire or a campfire.”

“You want me to go down and check it out?”

“That’d be great. Just report back what it is.”

“Aye-aye, Maximum overdrive.”

“Oh my dog, Chloe, what is with you and the nicknames?”

* * *

 

“Hey, Max? I’m at this little pond. There’s a few wrecked snowmobiles and a signpost. No sign, though.”

“Ohhhhhhh. I know where you are. It is called… _Pork Pond.”_

“What the actual fuck.”

“Silence! Listen now, and I shall tell you the Legend of Pork Pond.”

“Oh my god, Max. Do we even have time for this?”

“ _Silence!_ You see, long before us feeble humans walked the earth, there was a pond. It was called Pork Pond. Once this place became a national forest, they put up a sign for it. Of course, Pork Pond being an awesome name, the sign got stolen a ton. It was always found and put back up, but then one day, the sign went missing for good. Never to be seen again. It’s always been a mystery among us lookouts.”

“Wow, Max. That was the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard. I’m impressed.”

* * *

 

“Alright, Max, I’m here. It’s a campfire.”

“Any sign of the folks who set it up?”

“Negatory, Captain Max. Looks like they moved on a while ago.”

“Aw, damn. Well, you can head back to your tower now, if you want.”

“Awesomesauce. On my way back now.”

Max laughed. “You are such a dork, Chloe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcome.


	10. Firewatch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this might be my favorite chapter so far. I hope you enjoy it too

Day 64

“Pull up a chair, Chloe. You’ve got a front row seat for what could be the biggest fire of the year.”

"I'm way ahead of you there, Max." Chloe had brought her chair out to the balcony a few minutes ago. In the distance, smoke rose from a bright orange blaze. The outer edges of the fire had an almost purple glow. It was strangely beautiful.

“I’ve called her in. The service’ll probably send in a firefighting crew for suppression. In any case, I imagine we’ll be dealing with her for the rest of the summer.”

“Hot damn.”

Max didn’t respond.

“Get it? Cause it’s a fire. It’s hot.”

“UGHH.”

“Mwahahaha. Chloe Price, queen of shitty puns.”

“Anyways. We should name her. I usually come up with something, but… you should do the honors.”

“Hmm… what’s your last name?”

“…Caulfield.”

“The Caulfield Fire, then.”

“Aww. You’re sweet. But no. How about this: we’ll name it after one of my favorite authors. The Bradbury Fire.”

“The Bradbury Fire. I like it.”

“Hold on a sec . I’m gonna go get my camera.”

Chloe put down her radio and looked out at the fire. The night was almost unbearably warm, and Chloe was sure that the fire was impacting the temperature somewhat.

“Alright, I’m back.” Chloe heard a snap on the other side. “Wowsers. This fire is… great for photography. Weird, isn’t it? We’re out here to prevent fires, and here I am praising one.”

“Sometimes things don’t turn out how you think. I used to think Victoria Chase was a total bitch, but… just a sort-of bitch.”

“Who’s Victoria?”

“An old classmate from Blackwell. She was the queen bee on campus, had a bunch of cronies that followed her around. I hated her, and I was fairly certain she hated me. But then… well, everything with Rachel happened, and she changed. She was actually affected by it. She kinda shut herself off, moved to the sidelines until people just sorta forgot about her reputation. Then, she started hanging out with me.”

“And how about now?”

“We’re… kinda friends. We’ve stayed in touch. She’s still sort of an asshole, but I think that’s how she shows that she cares.”

They both fell silent. It was comfortable, Chloe staring into the inferno. She imagined Max was doing the same thing with her camera.

“So anyways, I- no, NO! Shit!”

“Max? What happened?”

“Fuck, I dropped my camera. Oh god, are you cereal?”

“Is it ok?”

“I-I don’t know. I’m gonna go down and get it. I’ll be right back.”

Chloe walked around her tower to face Thorofare Tower. She was worried about Max. That camera meant a lot to her. _What if it’s broken?_ she thought.

“Shit. Yeah, it’s broken.”

“Are you sure? No chance of fixing it?”

“Nope. Goddammit.” Max’s voice was starting to turn shaky.

“I’m sorry, Max. I’m sure you can get a new one, though, right?”

“I mean, maybe? But this is, like, an old polaroid camera. They’re probably really expensive and…” Max sighed. “You still looking at the fire?”

“No. I’m looking at you.”

Max let out a soft laugh. “Well, you should look at the fire. I can guarantee it’s a lot prettier than me.”

“I seriously doubt that, Max Caulfield.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcome.


	11. Blaze on the Horizon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, the conclusion draws near. writing this story has been tons of fun, and it's been great to hear your feedback.
> 
> and of course, stayed tuned for the final chapter :)

Day 70

Chloe crumpled up yet another sheet of paper and sighed. She’d spent most of the night trying to get back into drawing. She had used to love drawing shit (mostly as vandalism, but still). Evidently, her skills had faltered slightly over the years.

Chloe cast a glance out the window, where the Bradbury Fire was only growing. During the day, all that could be seen was smoke. But at night, it glowed brightly against the darkness.

“Hey, Chloe?”

“What’s up, MaxGyver?”

“Can we talk?”

“Sure. What’s on your mind?”

“Well… you. To be honest, I don’t talk to the other lookouts as much as you. Hell, I rarely talk to anyone as much as I’ve talked to you. You’ve… really made this summer fun.”

Chloe felt herself blushing. “The feeling’s mutual, Max.”

“Oh god, what the hell am I saying? I’m just being stupid. Stupid Max. She probably doesn’t even-”

“Uh, Max? I think you left your button pressed or something.”

“What? Oh, shit. Look, Chloe, I’m just tired and I’m being stupid and-“

“Max. Calm down. You’re not stupid, ok? You’re, like, hella awesome.”

“Thanks, Chloe. I- oh my dog.”

“What is it?”

“Look at the moon.”

Chloe got up and walked to the door of the cab. She stepped out onto the balcony and looked up, and gasped.

The moon, suspended above the tower, was a deep red.

“Holy fuck."

"I know, right? Wowsers."

"Is that… normal?”

“I think it’s because of the fire. When you’ve got lots of particles in the air, like smoke, they scatter the light from the moon. The only wavelength that makes it through to us is the color red.”

“How… do you know that?”

“I know a guy named Warren. He’s, like, a complete science nerd.”

Chloe sighed. The red moon was surreal. It meant… something. Chloe was sure of it.

* * *

 

Day 75

“You should go out. This smoke is only going to get worse from here. This might be your last chance to enjoy the place. I might even hike around for a bit myself.”

Chloe listened. She climbed down the tower again and went walking. She hiked around the Shoshone, visiting every place she’d been. She walked down to Thunder Canyon, Jonesy Lake, Pork Pond. Ash started to fall from the sky, the smoke no longer in the distance. The fire was drawing ever closer. The Shoshone felt desolate, dying.

She didn’t return to the tower until the sun was low in the sky. She hadn’t talked to Max much at all.

“Max? You there?”

Max didn’t respond for a few seconds.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. How was your day?”

“It was… alright. I don’t know. I think we might have to leave here pretty soon.”

Max was sounding down. Chloe had to do something to cheer her up. “But… but… _what about Forrest Byrnes?!_ ”

Again, Max didn’t respond for a moment, like she had to think about what Chloe had said.

Then she started laughing.

And then Chloe starting laughing.

And before either of them knew what was happening, they had both collapsed into an insane laughing fit.

Finally, Max sighed. “Let him burn. That thing is hella creepy.”

* * *

 

Day 78

“Chloe. I think we’re leaving tomorrow. You should start packing, if you haven’t already.”

“Alright.”

The sound of a plane above caught Chloe’s attention. She looked up. Outside, the wind had started up, and it brought with it ash and glowing embers. It was like looking into a hellish storm.

“You hear that plane?” said Max. “There’s going to be a lot more. Evidently, she’s only 2% contained.”

“Damn.”

“I should get packing too. We’ll talk later.”

“Right.”

* * *

 

Max Caulfield removed the radio headset and placed it down on her desk. She was tired, and it was getting late. In the distance, south of Two Forks, the fire blazed on. Max leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and started singing to herself.

“Someday, we will foresee obstacles, through the blizzard…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcome.


	12. Thorofare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here it is. The final chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> I might do some sort of epilogue later on. Who knows. When a door closes, a window opens... or something.

Day 79

Chloe carefully placed her Dad’s camera in her bag. She was just about finished packing. Two Forks Tower was looking just the way it had when she first arrived.

“Chloe? You finished packing?”

“Just about, yeah. How long have we got?”

“I just got word. The evac team is coming to get us in a little over two hours.”

“How’s that gonna work?”

“You’ll have to hike up to my tower. There’s an emergency cable car up past Beartooth Point that’ll get you to my sector.”

Chloe smiled. “So… we’ll finally get to meet?”

“Yeah. In fact, why don’t you come down a bit early? We can talk for a while before we get evacuated. You can help me finish packing.”

“That… that sounds nice.”

“Yeah, it does.”

* * *

 

Chloe sighed. She’d have to get going soon if she wanted to reach Thorofare Tower in time. It was fun, being here. She wanted to leave something to remember her by.

Chloe grabbed a marker and crouched down under her desk. She doubted anyone would look under here, but hey, you never know. She reached up and started writing on the underside of the desk, as if she were still at Blackwell.

She smirked as she finished the line.

‘GENIUS IS 1% INSPIRATION AND 99% LSD’

With that, she pulled on her pack and picked up the radio.

“Max, I’m gonna head out now.”

“Okay. You should leave the radio there, though. It’s technically property of the Forest Service, so you can’t just take it.”

“Um… alright. I’m heading out.”

“Do you think you could hurry? I don’t think I wanna be alone for too long.”

“I’ll get there as fast as I can. You’ll be okay?”

“Don’t worry about me. Just- just get down here safe, ok?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you soon.”

Chloe put the radio down on the charger and turned to leave. She descended the tower for the final time, and prepared to set off towards the north. The wind was still going crazy, heavy with smoke and ash. Everything was cast in an orange light, which made the park feel even more desolate. Chloe walked past the outhouse, where the wooden cutout of Forrest Byrnes remained leaned against the wall. She flipped him off as she walked away.

* * *

 

Chloe reached the cable car that spanned a large canyon. She was coughing now, thanks to the smoke in the air. She cast one more glance back at the Bradbury Fire, before climbing into the cable car.

“I’m coming, Max.”

* * *

 

Thorofare Tower loomed above Chloe. It was strange to see it up close, after 79 days of watching it from a distance. It was stationed atop a small rocky hill, with a painting of a pine tree symbol on a rock at the bottom.

Max Caulfield stood on the balcony, her short hair whipping around in the wind. She was wearing a pink shirt, with a gray jacket draped over her shoulders. In her hands was a small paper cup, steam rising from the top. Her eyes were closed, and she didn’t notice Chloe’s arrival. Chloe walked up the staircase and slowly came around the balcony. There she was, looking out at the fire.

“Max?”

Max tensed up for a moment, before turning around to face Chloe.

“H-hi. Wowsers.”

Chloe couldn’t contain her smile. “You said it. It’s… nice to meet you, I guess? Can you really say that?”

“Who knows?” She shrugged. “Um… welcome to Thorofare Tower.”

“Thanks.” Chloe moved to stand next to Max on the balcony. _Holy shit, she’s cute,_ she thought. “This is… kinda weird. To finally be here. With you.”

“It’s surreal. But… it’s nice, in a way.”

They stood there for a moment, standing in the blazing wind. “You’re a lot more quiet than I was expecting,” said Chloe.

“Talking to people in person is a lot more daunting than over a radio. I’m… kinda bad with people.”

"You're also a lot shorter than I was expecting."

"Ok, fuck you too."

Chloe chuckled. “I'm just kidding. There’s nothing wrong with that. You’re still hella cool.”

“If you say so.” Max sighed. “Why don’t you come inside? It’s a real nightmare out here.”

Chloe followed Max inside the cab, and took a look around. It wasn’t too unlike Two Forks, with the Osborne Fire Finder situated in the center of the room.

“I think I still have some tea left, if you want some.” Max walked over to a small portable tea kettle sitting by the sink. “This was Kate’s. We used to have tea all the time.” She poured a cup and handed it to Chloe.

“Thanks.”

Chloe walked over to Max’s desk. There was a big radio with a headset and everything. Besides that, the desk was covered in various Polaroid photos of the park. Chloe picked up a handful.

“Wow, Max. These are hella good.”

“Thanks.” Max walked over and picked up one of the photos. “This one’s my favorite.” She handed it to Chloe. It was a photo of Two Forks tower at night, the lights providing contrast to the dark sky. Chloe remembered that night well. “I wish I was able to take more.” Max looked over to a shelf, where her ruined camera sat.

“Oh, that reminds me. I wanted to give you this.” Chloe pulled off her pack and reached in to grab her Dad’s camera. Max’s eyes widened when Chloe handed it to her.

“It was my Dad’s camera. He wouldn’t want it to go to waste stuck with me. It’s a lot like your camera.”

“I- Chloe, I can’t take this.”

“Sure you can. You need it more than I do.”

Max quietly accepted the gift. She turned it over in her hands. Then, she walked over right next to Chloe and raised the camera.

“Max, what are you-“

“I’m taking a selfie. I want to remember this.”

Chloe smiled as the camera snapped with a flash, and began printing out the photo.

“So… we don’t have much time left. Could you help me pack up this stuff? I’ve got most of it, but there’s still a few things.”

Chloe went to pack up Max’s photos as Max packed up the camera and the tea kettle. As she collected the photos in a folder, Chloe looked up, and there it was.

“Oh. My god. Is that the Pork Pond sign?”

Max smiled. “Is it? I hadn’t noticed.”

“This whole time, you had it. It was right in the room with you while you were telling me that story.”

“You have no idea how hilarious it was to hear all the lookouts’ theories about that sign, knowing where it was the entire time.”

“You are evil, Max Caulfield. I fucking love it.”

Max blushed. She walked over and grabbed the sign. “And this is coming with me.” She stuffed it into her bag.

Chloe snorted. “Thief.”

“And no one will be any the wiser. Except you. Spill the beans, and I’ll have to kill you.”

They both started laughing.

* * *

 

Max and Chloe were back out on the balcony, carrying their bags. They’d received word just a minute ago that the rescue helicopter was on its way. Now, they could hear it coming.

“So, what now?” asked Chloe.

“Well, the helicopter will drop us off at the staging area near the trailhead. I’m assuming you’ll have a car there. After that… who knows?”

“Well, here’s what I think. We could drive down to Cody, and I could buy you a drink or something.”

“About that… I don’t really drink.”

“Well, then, we could go get some ice cream or something.”

“I think I’d like that, Chloe Price.”

They could see the helicopter now, approaching them quickly.

Max took a deep breath, nervous. She forced herself to do it before she could find a reason to change her mind.

She reached out and grabbed Chloe’s hand.

Chloe looked over at her, surprised. Max’s face turned red, and she was about to let go and turn away, but then Chloe smiled brightly at her.

The helicopter landed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcome. It's been fun.


End file.
